Life Skills Programme
We run a successful Life Skills Programme building confidence, self-esteem, compassion and social skills in children and youth. The programme is designed for clients with mental health conditions such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Our therapeutic work takes place within a supportive team environment and encompasses riding therapy, horsemanship and horse care. Horse riding is a play and leisure activity that many people consider a favourite hobby or past time. It is proven to have a calming effect and helps a person relax. Therapy riding simply uses the recreational past time of horse riding to promote various social, emotional cognitive, perceptual and physical benefits. It is also an activity that normalizes and equalizes.
What Tauranga RDA Provides
- An equestrian therapy centre for the rehabilitation and support of clients and their families
- Appropriately qualified staff including experienced riding coaches and therapists
- Specially trained therapy horses
- Specialist riding equipment Buildings and structures to support our equestrian therapy programmes
- A safe, caring, supportive and non-prejudicial environment for clients Individually designed, well-managed therapy programmes
- Remedial and supplementary educational opportunities
- Opportunities for youth volunteers to learn the value of volunteering and helping others Volunteer training opportunities
Benefits of the Life Skills Programme
- Behaviour modification
- Social contact with peers
- Learning life skills and acceptable behaviour
- Enhancing communication skills fostering socialization
- Facilitating engagement and responsiveness to others and the environment
- Provides pleasure and enhances morale
- Fulfils needs to nurture and be nurtured
- Compliments other treatment modalities
- Provides forms of sensory stimulation
- Increases confidence
- Teaches empathy for others and nurtures confidence, independence and well being
Tauranga RDA actively encourages health professionals of statutory health organizations and community agencies to work along-side us to support their clients.
To register your interest for the Life Skills programme please complete the following forms and return them to us.
Please read our terms and conditions for riders.
Read testimonials from our Life Skills programme.